| Wahlenbergia albomarginata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| W. albomarginata in Kea Point, Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Campanulaceae |
| Genus: | Wahlenbergia |
| Species: | W. albomarginata |
| Binomial name | |
| Wahlenbergia albomarginata | |
Wahlenbergia albomarginata, commonly known as the New Zealand harebell, is a species of plant native to New Zealand. [2] [3]
Wahlenbergia albomarginata's corolla form a 'bell-like' flower, an occurrence which is formally described as 'narrow-campulate-rotate'. [4] A single long tubed flower is produced atop each vertical, naked stem. [4] The corolla ranges from a typical pale-blue colour to darker violet-blue, with white zoning, but on occasion corolla may be entirely white. [4] Corolla tubes often lengthen from spring to summer and the corolla is 10–20 mm in length. [4]
Leaves are 10–40 mm long and may have a pale underside, or range from yellow-green to red-green in colour. [3] [4] Additionally, all endemic Wahlenbergia species in New Zealand have a glabrous pedicel and calyx. [4] When cultivated or sheltered, leaves grow in radicle, 'rose-like' clusters around the rhizome tips. [4] Dry, windswept conditions cause leaves to become stiff and grow in sessile, compact tufts. [4] In low sunlight, stems may become elongated. [4] Leaves are typically petiolate, with entire, dentate or undulate leaf margins which are conspicuously white and thickened. [5] In cases where teeth are present on leaf margins, they tend to be unremarkable. [4] Morphologically, leaves range from linear to elliptic or ovate to obovate, where lamina gradually narrow to the petiole. [5]
Wahlenbergia albomarginata is endemic to New Zealand. [6] It is found throughout the inland east coast of the South Island, in the Tasman, Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland regions, and in Stewart Island. [4]
Wahlenbergia albomarginata thrives where there is low annual rainfall such as in dry, lowland tussock-grassland, river terraces, rocky and sub-alpine habitats. [5] [7] Wahlenbergia albomarginata grows in well-draining riverside turf, sand, or stony soil. [8]
Wahlenbergia albomarginata is a rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial plant. In cultivation, it can survive for fifteen years, while those in harsh, wild environments may persist for only two years. [4] Seedlings begin as slender tap roots below ground, which later develop into slim, pliable, interlacing rhizome systems. Above ground, leafy shoots emerge from the rootstock, eventually growing in a thin, long stalk with a single flower on top. [4]
Wahlenbergia albomarginata is eaten by goats and sheep, and thus do not grow in frequently grazed areas, [9] and is eaten by slug, snails and grasshoppers. [9] [10]